25 Jan 2019 19:41:43
With the Telegraph reporting it, I think there's substance in it - Austin expected to leave this month. The club have already rejected bids as they've been below the valuation. They don't say how much we want for him, but we won't price him out of a move.

Trimming the fat.

figodasilva

1.) 25 Jan 2019 20:27:58
Hi figo

It confirms what I've read Aston villa as 1 possible destination. RH is definitely not messing about, as you say trimming the fat . I can imagine our weekly wage bill is dropping nicely. let's face it a squad of 25 players solely for the Premier League is bloated to say the least. I think we will see a move towards fewer younger fitter more versatile players who are more multi purpose and can cover a variety of positions, an exciting prospect. coyr viva rh.

2.) 25 Jan 2019 22:12:47
Surely this must mean there is a striker on the way in, with Gabbi and Austin leaving? Long/ Gallagher/ Obafemi aren't realistically good enough competition for Ings right now.

3.) 26 Jan 2019 00:53:36
ITS Culling Season!
Still moving in the right direction
Would not be surprised to see Bertie out the door considering his mysterious minor back injury has dragged on and on ( providing the young Juventus Brazilian replacement can be brought in ) with LEMINA’S tenure under scrutiny and a few more coffers to boot!
ALLS WELL THAT ENDS WELL!
KEEP ON MARCHING.

4.) 26 Jan 2019 03:27:45
It seems that there have a number of players quite happy to take their exorbitant salaries and not interested in playing. I think a squad of 18-20 should be big enough to cope. let's move the dead wood out to some other teams wage bill and sit out the season there.

5.) 26 Jan 2019 04:48:17
Lovely bloke and a great character. Arguably also currently the best finisher in the squad. It's clear he doesn't fit Ralph's blueprint as he's not mobile enough and too slow. But in a team who keeps giving service and crosses he will come good. RH might also be considering the state of our wingers and fullbacks who currently aren't able to provide good crosses and service, so there's no point in keeping Austin anyway. Our strikers need to be fit enough to chase and press, and mobile enough so that we can still carve chances despite the lack of creativity behind them.

6.) 26 Jan 2019 08:53:51
My view of Austin is that he's always seemed quite cocky and arrogant. Yes he's scored important goals for the club, but he's also wastes plenty of very good opportunities. I agree, I think Ings is the only striker of quality in our team, maybe Redmond will start to play alongside him. Maybe we'll pull an obscene transfer out of the bag! But a couple of injuries to our main goalscorers and we'll he very light on our feet.
Does anyone think that RH, might fall out with the squad by selling all our "deadweight"?

{Ed001's Note - I have met Austin a fair few times when he was at Swindon and he is actually a nice enough lad and not all that cocky and arrogant, most of the time. However he is very much a 'lad' and has the lifestyle that entails, which is not conducive to high level fitness and will not help him steer clear of injury. Especially for a body type like his, which is always going to be a problem as he struggles with keeping his weight in check.}

7.) 26 Jan 2019 17:08:16
I've bumped into him by chance on 2 occasions in Cheltenham. both times he was drunk and with Joey Barton. Enough said.

05 Dec 2018 13:32:39
I'm sure we've all been reading up about our new manager over the last few days (he's been confirmed now) so its genuinely exciting for someone of his calibre and potential to be taking over the first team. We know RB Leipzig played some exciting stuff under Hassenhutl, along with previous teams. He has shown an ability to get the best from a squad and importantly, to integrate youth with experience.

The thing that struck me though, is that this guy has a great reputation as a person. An inspiring and enthusiastic coach who, despite his success and the interest he has generated, has kept some humility. Bayern wanted him to take over not too long ago but he turned them down as he felt it was too early in his career and he wanted to keep learning and building experience before taking on such a job.

The board has demonstrated its desire to sort this mess out and quickly so they deserve great credit. Not only for acting swiftly but for getting their, and probably our, number one target for the head coach role. We've spoken of Hassenhutl on here since the MP2 days! Unlike the last three appointments, RH has a strong reputation and is seen as a progressive coach who likes attacking pressing, high-energy football and developing youth.

I presume it was down to Ross Wilson to identify the best candidate and get the board's approval and if so, it's a positive reminder of his abilities. There is now talk that the club will not be looking to appoint someone with the same broad scope of powers that Les Reed enjoyed. If Hassenhutl can pull the squad back together and Ross Wilson works closely with him to identify playing and coaching targets to bring on board, we can have faith in the club getting back on track without a DOF.

Exciting times are back at St Mary's. Its been a while.

figodasilva

1.) 05 Dec 2018 14:17:42
Hopefully figo he's not going to have all that positivity drained from him by the hierarchy who have grown this drab football brand for the last couple of years. i'm very excited to hopefully see the high press high intensity game back. and hopefully the fitness and confidence levels will quickly step up.

2.) 05 Dec 2018 14:22:29
Agree with you there Figo. There remains an unknown (to a degree) as to how the new coach will adapt to a new league, but all the indications are that he has the required depth of tactical insight and emotional intelligence required to succeed in the premiership. Sadly MH was of a dying breed of English managers (a la Keegan) who have passion and effort but who lack breadth of tools required to succeed. I am impressed with the decisiveness of the board following the protracted prevarication around MP2 and share the view that a rush to appoint a DoF would be ill advised. A positive couple of weeks after 2 years of drift. St David.

03 Nov 2018 08:33:13
So Man City this weekend. any predictions? Strangely, this weekend I cannot be bothered to write a preview article for the odd person who bothers to read it. City win. My thought process is that they are better than us in every way and are playing well and we are not. I don't even expect a repeat of the heroics of last season under Pellegrino where we almost pulled off a shock.

Still Watford next weekend, who are likely to be recovering from a mauling by Newcastle today.

figodasilva

1.) 03 Nov 2018 10:05:22
I think Hughes will set us up to avoid a hammering. He strikes me as someone who will see a 2-0 loss to city as something to build on.

3.) 03 Nov 2018 12:25:38
I can't see us getting anything out of this game. I'd be surprised if we can keep the goals against column down to less than 5 and I certainly can't see us even getting close to scoring.

10.) 04 Nov 2018 17:58:22
Shane Long's most valid contribution to the game came early in the second half as he dummied a pass from Cedric to let it roll to JWP for a shot on goal. Its a shame he is at his best when he's not touching the ball.

Robbie Earle said this felt like a cup tie with a premier league side facing someone from the lower leagues. Sad but true. With points and goal difference now so much worse than last season already, (13 points, 9 gf and 11 ga last year after 11 games compared with 7 points, 7 gf and 20 ga now) will the board act early or late? Will they act at all?

11.) 05 Nov 2018 07:56:03
Got to act early this time. I liked that we gave MP a chance last year but I don't think Hughes deserves the same benefit. Get someone in with a month to evaluate squad before Jan.

08 Aug 2018 14:47:18
Eds, today we're being linked with Lobotka and are said to be leading the chase for Ings alongside Palace. Any truth in the former and have you heard any updates on the Ings situation since your last posts on it?

figodasilva

{Ed002's Note - I am not aware of Southampton interest in Stanislav Lobotka but Spurs have looked to him as an option after losing out on their preferred choice to replace Dembele, but may not see value in the €35M asking price. Napoli are still looking to add another midfield player after Ruiz and have a declared interest. Interest from Southampton remains with Ings as Alcacer is looking out of the question. The interest of Leicester has gone. After getting nowhere with Babacar and Aleksandar Mitrovic, Crystal Palace have turned to Ings.}

1.) 08 Aug 2018 21:31:31
Many thanks Ed002.

Whilst Ings presents a bit of a fitness gamble, I'd rather him over Welbeck if there is any truth in that rumour.

17 May 2018 14:30:49
If you haven't read Ralph Kreuger's interview in the Echo, here's a brief summary.

He offers himself as the sole person responsible for the events of this season, whilst simultaneously saying it was not the fault of just one person. He believes some tough lessons have been learned so all involved should stay on to ensure that the same mistakes are not repeated. Changing personnel is counter intuitive as the new people coming in will not have shared the tough experience of this season and learned the same lessons. It's a different way to look at things and perhaps correct, but the fans will want to be reassured with affirmative action to prevent another slump.

Well, happily RK acknowledges the club left the Southampton Way behind and so we'll be looking to return to that strategy. Great news right!? Well, yes and no. RK's primary focus as chairman is to represent the new owner by balancing football and finances. So, when he envisages a return to the Southampton Way, he means the financial element as well as the football.

Lets rewind to the not so distant past. What were your expectations for the club during the summer transfer windows over the last 4 or 5 years? Remember? Great! That's what we'll have to enjoy/ endure once more. You see, returning to the Southampton Way on the pitch for RK also means to apply the previous approach to transfer dealings. We'll sell our best players for as much as possible and recruit younger players to develop and sell on in the future at profit. RK says we should then take pride in watching our old players achieve wonderful things like reaching the Champions League final with their new side. Err. no. That's a bit like telling you that although your girlfriend left you for someone better, you should be happy for her when they win the lottery.

Remember too that its not just the fans that take issue with this policy. Our two best manages of recent times have left stating their frustration at being unable to build a team and plan ahead as they had no idea what their team would look like from season to season. Will MH be any different? RK is confident he's the right man to unite the team but how can he when the faces in the changing room will change so often?

RK advises that Mr Gao won't be investing any money in the club. Therefore, our transfer funds will come mainly or solely from player sales. Perhaps not this summer as we still have the majority of the VVD money to spend, unless that money is being used to improve the training facilities and entertainment for fans on match days as RK outlines. If the money is available, we start from a good place and can still strengthen this summer with a view to moving up the league. But then we'll have to see some of our favourite players leave and be replaced by others we may have no affinity with. Its like a football version of speed dating. Just when we get to know and like them, RING, there goes the bell and they're moving on. It might be great for the financial side but the fans are being asked to support the club rather than the individual players. I don't buy it. Surely that's grounds for a divorce between fans and club rather then a foundation for unity.

At least it's a World Cup year.

figodasilva

1.) 17 May 2018 16:22:15
Hi figo

Excellent post and I agree totally with your sentiments. I think it will be interesting as the club has yet to announce the appointment of MH as permanent manager, how long does this process take with only one candidate? . The transfer window opens tomorrow and season ticket holders are being asked to renew admittedly with prices held at last year's level, but as you state it's same old saints not showing any ambition but happy to keep turning over players for a profit. Its a bit rich that the club show no real loyalty to the players or fans, can you blame the players feeling the same way? 're RK's comment on spending money on the training facility why it is only 4-5 years since construction finished and it was hailed as leading edge, years ahead of its time so where is the need for big expenditure? It will be interesting to see how much of the VVD money is available for players plus moving on some other fringe players e. g. Clasie who haven't featured. Its interesting that nobody is really taking responsibility for MP2's appointment and how disastrous that was on a 3 year contract which cost money to settle early! The premiership as RK says is unique but it is not just about football, it is entertainment, theatre, drama and the connection between fans and players. As you say figo this has been eroded and I hope that this is not the Board and owners view of the 'Southampton way'
going forward.

2.) 17 May 2018 16:41:15
I was thinking exactly the same thing re: the MH appointment. He said at the end of the season he would love to take the job on and he expected Saints to move quickly. Saints have said publicly now they see him as the right man for the job and they're in discussions. and that's it. Nothing for some time now. There's a sticking point somewhere and it may well be financial or length of contract, but if I was MH I would like some reassurance that the core of the squad I want to keep and build around will still be here for next season. If the club can't give him that assurance, or he doesn't like the idea of the high player turnover, it could be a deal breaker.

3.) 17 May 2018 21:47:18
I would ‘echo’ the comments - it is a fine post.

The summary is spot on and covered everything. About Hughes though, he is in a fairly good position, as on paper we were going down and he saved us. Whilst I am grateful and have no issues with him getting the long term job if a suitable strategy is in place, no one knows for sure if we would have stayed up anyway. Although it’s speculative, we could have potentially stayed regardless of who was at the help, a point that should be considered is that it got worse before it got better. However again, stoke may have stayed up under Hughes, I seem to recall his points average would have been enough.

That said and again on paper, he saved us and reputation would naturally be restored to an extent.

4.) 17 May 2018 22:16:10
Totally agree with both above posts but there is just something that is bugging me. They allowed Mr GAO to take majority control of the club with to put it mildly very little confidence in his financial ability to finance the club if required in the future. I feel this is a major stumbling block for any progression for the club to ensure a stable future . Just maybe the SOUTHAMPTON WAY doesn’t suit other potential investors who really want to be more involved with the club and not happy with the board as it is. The delay in appointing MH smacks of the last two seasons with obviously something holding it up, probably as you say money and confirmation of the squad availability for next season. Don’t know about anybody else but the communication from the club to the supporters is virtually nothing apart from a rather sheepish interview with Adam Blackmore. However they were amazingly quick to post the new season ticket great deals and wanting our money now before we have any idea of what the set up will be next season. I personally find the recent business far from the Southampton Way and if they want to know what that is, hold a fans forum they might learn something, but I doubt it.

6.) 18 May 2018 11:08:37
They’ll be holding a fans’ forum in August I believe so perhaps an opportunity to get some points across and find out more. I can’t find any trace of an official fan club/ union which would be a better way for the fans to approach a forum. Anyone know of one?

What will be pointless is if 100 fans turn up all shouting and disorganised. Then, at the next forum there’s an entirely different group of fans all asking the same questions as last time or wasting time with questions that are unhelpful. Given that the fans are many, availability of tickets will likely be luck of the draw on application and views broad, it would be better if there was an official supporters’ club, independent but recognised by it as representing the fans, where member fans are invited to air their views to representatives who then put select questions to RK and whoever else turns up. This official supporters’ club can then circulate the minutes of the forum to all its members so everyone can read what was discussed without it being edited by the Echo or the FC. Otherwise, fans will feel as if they don’t have a voice if they don’t get to attend a forum, making them pointless.

For the club’s part, if they feel the forum is just an opportunity for people to come and shout or abuse them when things aren’t going well, or they are disorganised and messy there’s a risk they’ll just draw a line under it.

7.) 18 May 2018 15:07:42
Figo I would be the first to second you as the level headed representative to put an organised sensible discussion with the board and the management putting forward supporters views and recommendations for the club to take on board. Why not try to organise something I believe you would get very firm backing from the majority of the supporters.

8.) 18 May 2018 20:55:48
Thanks Chris. I wasn't really thinking about me. Right now, I feel far from level headed about what is happening.

I may consider it. I've still not found anyone official. I'll drop a line to the SFC supporter relations contact and the Football Supporters Federation to see if there is anyone official. I'd rather just join than set something up as it will require a fair amount of time to be committed. But, if there is no-one out there it seems to me the only sensible way to have our views aired with the club constructively.

12 Apr 2019 14:50:41
Thoughts on the club announcing today that Ralph Kreuger's contract will not be renewed this summer? Is this still a fall out from the last couple of seasons? It certainly is being presented as Saints' choice rather than that of RK.

With the club still in the process of sorting out its hierarchical structure, announcements on that and new staff will likely take place when the season ends. Before then, I guess we'll have to wait and see but its certainly shaping up to be an interesting period in our club's development. From a fan's and football lover's perspective, I hope that RH and RW will be involved in the discussions.

2.) 13 Apr 2019 06:15:14
Phil Giles or anyone responsible for Brentford's recruitment these past few seasons. Operate on almost the same model as us (Uncover gems, polish, sell for a profit) albeit with a more restricted budget and without the pulling power of the premier league. I'm a big fan of how they work these past few seasons with players like Mepham, Watkins, Maupay, Woods, Sawyers, Colin signed to name a few.

1.) 03 Feb 2019 18:30:26
As a footnote to my article, watching today's City v Arsenal match, there were too remarkable moments that support my article. From open play in the first half, an Arsenal player tried to dink the ball past a pressing City player and it struck his midriff and hand. Play on said Martin Atkinson. Man City's third goal is scored by Aguero sliding in on a cross which is deflected back away from his feet. Instead it hits his arm and rolls into the goal. The Goal stands. No hand ball as it wasn't deliberate.

2.) 04 Feb 2019 02:00:35
As a Saints supporter I'm pretty peeved that the penalty was given but on the other hand if it had been a Burnley player doing the same thing in their penalty area I would have wanted a penalty. The thing in this case was the ref made a mistake by not giving a penalty to Burnley in the first half and I think that he possibly realised that and when Stephens hand was up in the air it gave him the opportunity to make amends. Seems like all refs have their own interpretation of laws especially the handball law.

3.) 04 Feb 2019 09:44:58
At the end of the day, Stephens' arm was in an unnatural position. And that is the only thing the referee sees. His arm is up and the ball hits him on the arm. I think the other laws that you have written were not in play, as he does not bring his arm towards the ball and he has no opportunity to move his arm away as the ball was too close to him. Until VAR comes in, the referee will never catch Crouch fouling him, as he's too close to Stephens but we can see in the replays that he's clearly holding his shirt.
I think the handball law will always come down to interpretation at the time of the handball. Stephens' arm was up straight so to be fair to the ref, he had to give it.

1.) 18 Jan 2019 23:50:53
Just got that feeling that we’re going to get the good Everton tomorrow - it seems we either get them on their worst day or on their best but they’re probably due a turn up; Sigurdsson always seems to play well against us. Hopefully we bounce back with Danny and PEH hopefully starting but I’m feeling a 2-0 reverse.

At least with (presumably) Huddersfield and Fulham losing, Burnley away and Newcastle and Cardiff playing each other, shouldn’t be a massive weekend at the bottom. That said a win would be lovely - especially with Palace and Brighton away at Liverpool and United we could get well up the table before long.

3.) 19 Jan 2019 17:26:31
Well I’m incredibly happy to have been proved totally wrong! What an incredible own goal from Digne!? They do love scoring own goals at St Mary’s.

Another great performance, another 2-0 lead, another goal conceded late to make us sweat and god knows how the ref found 9 minutes out of 4 in injury time, but couldn’t care less now - love the passion, love the set up, love Ralph’s enthusiasm. We’ve got our club back.

Palace and Burnley to come - by no means push overs but win those and suddenly we’ll be about 13th. Shows how massively needed our boost under Ralph has been - we’re only three clear of the bottom three even now but considering where we were after losing to Cardiff I’m definitely looking up the table now.

4.) 21 Jan 2019 02:14:02
We can only attain 13th if we win our next 2 games and Brighton lose their next 2. We really need to win at least 3 of our next 5 and hope that Huddersfield, Fulham, Cardiff and Newcastle continue to struggle. Of course it's always possible that it's us who struggles over the next few weeks and the aforementioned teams start picking up points so we can't be complacent. Would love to see us finish above Brighton and Bournemouth though.

27 Jan 2019 16:57:32
Apparently we'll be going back to Brum with an improved bud for Che Evans and if Tavernier is available for around £8m may be worth a look. Club Captain at Rangers, Gerrard is a fan. He's a good attacking full back so his fitness levels are good. He scores and gets assists too, albeit at a Championship-esque level. Not sure about it though. He's 27 so doesn't seem in the right frame of our current policy. Also, he's Captain there and he'd have to fight to get in the team here. Not saying he can't do it but.

25 Jan 2019 11:51:29
Reports today are a little pessimistic on the financial front with Inter now believed to simply be paying less than 1m euros for a loan for the remainder of the season with an option to buy at a price of about 11m euros. All in, that would be about £10m. In today's market, that seems low for a member of the Portuguese squad that are current Euro champions. He's been a solid and regular player for us since then as well. I guess the price will be influenced by Cedric's wish to leave, RH's happiness to offload him and the January window being an awkward one to do business.

22 Jan 2019 18:44:18
The point is that when a problem arises, its not always clear what the solution is. As fans, our first view is that the players aren’t good enough. Then we blame the manager. Then we blame the board. We expect people to lose their place in their team or their job and then, that everything will miraculously be better. RK knew there was a problem 2 seasons ago which is why he sacked CP, then MP2, then MH. Its disingenuous to say he took to long to see a problem. The club actively tried to right the ship.

Plus, the club acted appropriately in bringing in new players and selling the sulking VVD. They changed managers. They did everything we expected of them to. But ultimately, the wrong people were brought in and this didn’t address the fundamental problem at the club. The board is reliant on the footballing expertise of the person appointed to head up football operations as the board are commonly business people, not football experts. The failure of those appointments rests predominantly with LR and he lost his job in the end too.

You can claim to be some sort of clairvoyant but there were very few people posting on this website who had any genuine understanding of the depth of the problem at the club and how to fix it. Yes we were playing turgid football but last season many people were bemoaning the sacking of Claude Puel, despite him overseeing the start of the slump. Leicester’s record shows you that it wasn’t the players here but the Manager. Just as often, the players are castigated by people posting on this forum as they’re labelled lazy, not good enough, not passionate enough. RH’s appointment has now changed opinion. Also, there were many who posted on here who were delighted with the long term appointment of Mark Hughes over the summer. Now, those same people are jumping on RK’s back and having a go when ultimately they were, at best, just as clueless.

Its so easy with the benefit of hindsight now to say it was obvious that sacking Les Reed, restructuring the recruitment arm and bringing in a top quality COACH was the solution, but be honest and reply to this post in the affirmative if that was the collective solution you were insisting on 2 seasons ago. It was my thought just before MP2 was sacked last season which remained with me over the summer but I didn’t appreciate the depth of the problem before then. If any of you did, you didn’t say so on here. But RK found the problem and solution whether by diligence or luck and he should be praised for it. If he is to receive critical letters from fans in the dark days, perhaps he should receive congratulatory ones when we do well. let's wait and see how the club does for the rest of season. We don’t need to be angry or critical anymore.

22 Jan 2019 13:12:03
I appreciate that he can come over a little like a politician/ business manager with his deliberate speech and vocabulary, but in the main I think RK is not only more engaging than previous people who have held his position, but open and honest with the fans as well. He has been clear about the club’s strategy and his views on this were aired once more last Friday in the fan forum. Video’s on the Saints website if you missed it.

I agree with 123 that there does appear to remain a lingering animosity towards the management of the club over the last few seasons. At a low ebb and with the club drifting it is justified, but not now. Also, at each stage of our struggles, the club was not passive. New managers were appointed, new players signed, a new transfer strategy adopted where we refused to sell our best players. When it became clear that changing managers, hanging on to sulking players and the new signings made were not having the desired effect, the board looked deeper beneath the surface and they lost faith in Les Reed’s ability to head up the football operations side. He was relieved of his post.

Last summer, RK admitted the club had lost direction in straying from the Southampton Way and he had faith that a return to that strategy would see the club right. He and the rest of the board should be praised for not only accepting responsibility but finding the most effective way to implement the strategy they believe will turn things around. This objectivity is crucial to progress. We now see that being implemented with the appointment of a head coach who fits perfectly with the strategy of developing players and coaching them to be better, as opposed to the old-fashioned view of trying to buy success. That is why we showed signs of progression and success under Pochettino. Many fans rate Koeman but whilst the team continued to perform for him, I would say that he was the first managerial appointment that started to lean towards more expensive, developed signings for the first team rather than relying on coaching improvements from the players he already had.

RH is working closely with Ross Wilson (RW) acting as head of recruitment to develop a shortlist of players in every position that fit the mould of the team RH is building. Young, hungry, high level of fitness. These are now the key attributes as technical attributes can be developed through the first class coaching that RH delivers. The players are loving being coached for the first time in a long time and it is showing on the pitch already. We are still far from the team RH would be happy with but look at the turnaround we’ve already seen in performance and points. Ignore all the paper talk linking us with the likes of Gary Cahill and any developed players at their peak. Cost aside, its not likely to be the sort of player RH wants. The links to younger players at the likes of Leeds and Brentford are more likely and trust RW and RH will do their homework thoroughly and only sign the players they believe fit the bill. They are looking for players for the future. Long term.

RK was also very honest last Friday when asked whether the club had developed a new 5 year plan. He stated that the focus at the moment is on survival in the Premier League for this season. Once that is achieved, over the summer the board are more likely to sit down and consider the long term position, underlining there is nothing concrete at the moment. But that doesn’t mean there is no strategy. The appointment of RH is a clear indication of what the club sees not only as a way of stabilising but developing and progressing. It’s a statement of long-term strategy and ambition.
The Southampton Way may be considered vague at best, or rhetoric at worst so if it’s the way RK speaks that irks you, I would urge you to look at the club’s actions in response to the adversity we have faced over the last few seasons. Past decision have perhaps been short-sighted and wrong with hindsight, but this new appointment and the restructuring behind the scenes indicates the club are looking forward. Publicly, RK says the club is looking at ‘the now’ and survival this season but the appointment of RH speaks so much more about the club’s desire to return to success, stability and progress that we enjoyed in the past in the long term. It is not a short term appointment but an act of reviving the strategy under Pochettino that worked so well. RK is clearly as excited about the team under RH as we all are, but he’s likely tempering his view to a short term one at the moment, simply because he’s had his fingers burned by a number of past decisions. But they were made without the insight the club has now achieved and will hopefully not forget again.

My issue over the last three seasons with the club was the loss of the Southampton Way as a long-term strategy, evidenced by a series of poor decisions that were ill-judged and seemed only to serve the short-term objective of survival. But I’m now more than satisfied with the club’s revival of its long-term strategy following the appointment of RH and the statement it makes. I’m now more than prepared to give the board the benefit of the doubt that they’ve learned from past mistakes and they won’t be repeated in a hurry.

There’s little point as fans in dwelling on the past and tempering our excitement about having a good manager and an improving team, just in case things fall apart again. The success and failure of teams is cyclical and there will be highs and lows along the way so we should just enjoy the good times while they are here. I for one am more confident now that should the bad times return, the club has learned lessons and will be more equipped to deal with them.

16 Apr 2019 10:26:32
It depends what RH wants to do – play his preferred 4-2-2-2, or as he’s done all season, adapt himself and simply look to bring in one or two to strengthen positions.

In the premier league, matches are won and lost in the transition phase; the team who reacts best to winning possession and equally to losing it, is the team most likely to win the game. Most teams press and the game is played at high pace, whether the ball is on the deck or played direct. To succeed you need composed players who are very comfortable on the ball across the board. We’ll hopefully have the advantage of developing these types of players in our youth ranks but we’ll probably need to bring some more in to strengthen the first team over the next few seasons.

A good keeper like Timo Horn at Koln who can play with ball at feet would be useful. Vestergaard is too ungainly, lacks technical ability and is too slow for me. If we bring in another centre back, someone like Matthias De Ligt from Ajax would be great. His exposure is high now though so think this would be unlikely and expensive but someone of that ilk. Hoedt could still be an asset under a much better coach like RH.

We need back up at right back unless Harrison Reed is going to play there. Cedric may well be on his way with Valery ahead of him in the pecking order. RH seems a little unconvinced by Matt Targett so it may be a young left back is required too.

I’d like to see Lemina given a chance in a team that’s actually working hard and doing well. I’d also like to see Elyounoussi get a chance in an improved Saints side too. Its hard for a young player to change countries and leagues, styles of play and go from a top team down to one fighting relegation. let's not be too quick to ship him off unless RH feels his work ethic or attitude aren’t right, but I’ve not seen evidence of that in his performances. Romeu I still worry about in terms of his awareness, concentration and sometimes he’s just plain sloppy. A new defensive midfielder or even someone like Classie who again, may fair better under a better coach and different system. He can certainly use the ball well and break up play.

I don’t think Boufal will ever work hard enough to fit in under RH so he’s likely to leave. Austin can go. I agree we need back up for Ings and ideally a player in a similar mould. Last season, I could see Origi as a possibility but Klopp has been very vocal about liking him and this season, he’s shown more of his ability so I can’t see him leaving Liverpool. I’m not sure of other names that fit the bill so will have to do a bit of research.

Under RH, this squad of players can achieve top 10. I think the main position crying out for added depth are right back and a hard working creative striker. Maybe a right sided wide player too as we have a few for the left side. If we’re to play 4-2-2 we’ll need another defensive and another attacking midfielder.

10 Feb 2019 15:20:55
I think after venting following the initial disappointment of losing, this thread has taken a slightly more balanced lean which is good.

Look, we have a new manager who is still working with the squad to improve them. The professional view is that whilst a new manager can have an initial impact if man management is good, it can take 6 months or a full season for a manager to get the team playing the way he wants. This is of course not accounting for bringing in new players and having to start from scratch with them. Statistically speaking we are so much improved under RH its not funny. This article on Football365 gives you some insight: football365.com/news/what-exactly-has-hasenhuttl-changed-at-southampton

RH wants us to play a low possession high press, classic counter attacking with pace and penetration. It has worked well against the big boys who want to come and have possession and dominate us. But in recent weeks, it has been less effective against teams like Palace, Burnley and Cardiff because they are happy to cede possession to us and invite us to break them down. As already pointed out by you guys, we and every other team in the league, Man City and Liverpool included, find it very difficult to break Premier League opposition down this way.

So I’m sure RH will be looking on ways to get the team to be patient and wait for their moment against such a defensive wall, just as Man City have to do. As fans, we need to acknowledge this as well and not get on the team’s back if, like yesterday, we’re totally dominating the game but unable to score the goal that will open the game up and work more in our favour.

I’m perfectly happy with RH’s comments about us dropping points as a result of stupidity. These are mental errors leading to sloppy, complacent play or poor decision making and it has cost us 3 points in the last two games. A team is often at its most vulnerable after scoring, as the old adage goes, and so it proved yesterday. The way Stephens and Bednarek celebrated the goal, relief aside, suggested job done. A goal in injury time often goes unanswered as time slips away. But for those last few minutes, our defence had to be switched on, hyper-alert. Make sure of the point we had to battle so hard for.

Instead, Stephens was complacent on the ball, misplaced an easy pass and the result was a Cardiff counter and a winning goal for the opposition. Romeu was at fault for Cardiff’s first goal yesterday, as per usual switching off at the key moment and letting his man drift away from him and, in this instance, being in the clear to stab the ball home.

These are professional footballers and so whilst I think we must be patient with our playing style against deep-defending opposition, we can still expect our players to make better choices and concentrate during the key moments of the game. RH will coach them to make them able to make better choices with the ball, but this will come with time.

He can also give coaching and instructions about complacency in matches which will hopefully eradicate these silly errors from our matches. RH is passionate and it often goes both ways; if the players can bask in his happy moments, they must also appreciate when silly errors are creeping into the game and at this crucial stage, he will let them know about it. The errors were stupid and I’d rather hear him say so than try to blame the referee or luck.

03 Feb 2019 18:30:26
As a footnote to my article, watching today's City v Arsenal match, there were too remarkable moments that support my article. From open play in the first half, an Arsenal player tried to dink the ball past a pressing City player and it struck his midriff and hand. Play on said Martin Atkinson. Man City's third goal is scored by Aguero sliding in on a cross which is deflected back away from his feet. Instead it hits his arm and rolls into the goal. The Goal stands. No hand ball as it wasn't deliberate.

01 Feb 2019 09:27:33
I'm not sure where you're getting your Palace results records from but coming into our game they had won 3 of their last 6 games and 5 of their last nine games, losing only 3. They have beaten City, Leicester, Wolves and Spurs in that run. They were not coming into the game out of nick and struggling to perform as was shown with them outplaying us. Not that we set the bar particularly high.